Research in the Biosystematics Group is focussed on the origin and maintenance of plant and insect biodiversity, above and below species level. We investigate speciation, domestication and plant-animal interactions, and use phylogenetic patterns to test hypotheses on the underlying processes. We apply a comparative approach to study species-level systematics of insects and plants, including crops, and the geological, ecological and molecular processes that have shaped existing biodiversity in particular clades.
The Biosystematics Group is affiliated to the Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis (NCBN) which houses most biological collections in The Netherlands, and which will offer facilities for ancient DNA and DNA barcoding. Our research is incorporated in the research program of the Graduate Schools Experimental Plant Sciences (EPS) and Biodiversity (BIODIV). and is organised around the following themes:
Plant speciation processes
Founded on phylogeny reconstruction, we study geological and ecological drivers of speciation. Moreover, we test hypotheses on how molecular evolutionary processes and the appearance of life-history features have shaped the origin and demise of diversity in selected plant groups.
Molecular evolution
The evolution of genes, their paralogy, positive selection on individual residues, and (shifts in) nucleotide substitution rates, are studied as part of collaborative projects. See Freek Bakker. The use of AFLP markers for phylogenetic reconstruction at the plant species-level has become a routine tool in our lab. We also focus on the optimisation of DNA extraction from (ancient) herbarium specimens. Click here for more information.
Systematics of cultivated plants and their wild relatives
This theme focuses on the domestication process (the origin of crops from their wild ancestors). In different plant groups the relationships among wild and cultivated material is studied using morphological and molecular data. Attention is also given to the special classification and nomenclature needed for cultivated plant material (cultonomy, cultivar-group classifications).
Evolution of plant insect interactions
This theme aims at elucidating processes underlying patterns in evolution of plants and their associated insect herbivores. Insect and host-plant phylogenetic trees are combined with data from host-plant phytochemistry and behavioural experiments. In addition, an insect DNA barcode reference library has been constructed in order to facilitate species-identification. Click here for more information.